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Australia’s newest allrounder Andrew McDonald was organising a new-year surfing holiday when he got a phone-call that immediately changed his plans

Cricinfo staff31-Dec-2008
Andrew McDonald is a tall man who extracts surprising bounce and can nip the ball around off the seam and in the air © Getty Images
Australia’s newest allrounder Andrew McDonald was organising a new-year surfing holiday when he got a phone-call that immediately changed his plans. It was Cricket Australia’s general manager of cricket operations, Michael Brown, telling McDonald to get ready for a trip to Sydney, where he was in the 12-man squad for the third Test.Injuries to Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson opened the door for a new allrounder to be trialled and McDonald, who has been a consistent contributor for Victoria over the past two seasons, was the beneficiary. McDonald was in Geelong preparing for a relaxing few days with his wife and friends when the call-up came.”I’d just got out of bed and was shocked and over the moon. I’m really excited about the prospect of being able to play for Australia,” McDonald said. “A few of my mates were organising some new year’s plans. We weren’t sure what we were doing yet, but I’ve had to tell them they’re on hold now. They said, ‘You selfish so and so’. No, they didn’t really. They’re rapt. It’s fantastic.”A tall man at 194 centimetres, McDonald is a medium-fast bowler who extracts surprising bounce and can nip the ball around in the air and off the seam. A versatile player who often bats at No. 6 for his state, McDonald has made four half-centuries and averages 46.28 this season.”I feel confident in my ability,” McDonald said. “Obviously to have been performing for Victoria I think we are probably the benchmark of the domestic competition at the moment and I think that is going to hold me in good stead.”I have held down the No. 5/6 spot when Cameron [White] has been away for Victoria so I have batted in the top five and six in shield cricket. I think that is going to hold me in good stead if I do get the No. 6 spot for Australia, or wherever that position may arise.”A red-head whose hair and surname have earned him the nickname Ronnie, McDonald averaged 49.54 with the bat last season and 57.69 the summer before. He has 15 wickets at 23.93 this Sheffield Shield campaign and although he has not been told he will be in the starting XI for Sydney, the balance of the squad means he must be a certainty.The fast bowlers Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger will vie for the remaining spot, which became available due to Brett Lee’s foot injury, and Bollinger is the favourite to debut on his home ground. A left-arm fast man who went on the tours of the West Indies and India this year, Bollinger has five five-wicket hauls at the SCG in the past 13 months.”The SCG is a pretty good place to bowl,” Bollinger told the . “I like to bowl as straight as I can and swing the ball as much as I can because it goes Irish quite a bit. You’ve got to bash the wicket at the SCG, it’s not the quickest of wickets but I enjoy bowling there.”

The ICC is conducting an investigation into an incident whereby a Fiji cricketer was found in a pool of blood during the recent World Cricket League Division 4 in Tanzania

Cricinfo staff27-Oct-2008The ICC is conducting an investigation into an incident whereby a Fiji cricketer was found in a pool of blood during the recent World Cricket League Division 4 in Tanzania.No details have yet emerged about the welfare of the player or further information about the incident, but the ICC are aware of the situation. “We are aware of an alleged incident that took place at the recent ICC World Cricket League Division 4 tournament in Tanzania,” the regional manager for ICC East Asia Pacific, Matt Weisheit, told the . “However until the full details are ascertained it would not be appropriate to comment further.”This is not the first time Fiji’s cricketers have been involved in incidents while on tour. During an Under-19 tournament in Vanuatu last year, there were allegations of damage to the hotel in which they were staying, and in 2007, some players were involved in a brawl in Samoa.”We are aware that an incident took place at the farewell function and have received a verbal report from the ICC,” Martin Shaw, the Cricket Fiji’s general manager, said. “Once we have had an opportunity to read the reports from the ICC then the board will decide whether the actions of any players have brought Cricket Fiji into disrepute.”Where players have acted inappropriately when representing Fiji we will ensure that disciplinary action is taken against them. This is so that future teams are aware of what level of behaviour is expected of them when they represent Fiji.”Fiji finished bottom of the World Cricket League Division 4 which was won by Afghanistan.

Marcus Bent has exclusively told Football FanCast that a strong pre-season could potentially save Moise Kean’s Everton career.

The 21-year-old made the switch to Merseyside in a £25m deal from Juventus two years ago but has scored four goals in 37 appearances in all competitions, only two of which came in the league.

Such was Kean’s wretched goalscoring form in his first season with the Toffees, he was loaned out to PSG last term.

But the Italian quickly rediscovered his goal-touch, scoring an impressive 17 times for Mauricio Pochettino’s team as they reached the Champions League semi-finals and won two domestic cups.

Following his outstanding loan spell in the French capital, Kean has been linked with a return.

However, Kean has featured heavily in pre-season for Everton, and scored the winning goal against Club Universidad Nacional last Wednesday.

Despite his struggles under the previous regime, it appears that he’s been offered a clean slate by Rafael Benitez, which could resurrect the striker’s Toffees career.

Bent exclusively told Football FanCast:

“With the new manager going in there, everyone has different opinions. If he does well in pre-season, then maybe he’s got a future there.

“We need someone up front to help DCL, so hopefully he does well in pre-season, you never know.”

Having failed to chase 236 under lights against India Blue yesterday, India Red got their act together and beat India Green by five wickets in Cuttack

Cricinfo staff24-Oct-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Rohit Sharma’s excellent 117 steered India Red to victory © Cricinfo Ltd
Having failed to chase 236 under lights against India Blue yesterday, India Red got their act together and beat India Green by five wickets in Cuttack. At the forefront of that win was a spin-induced collapse when Green looked set for 30 runs more, and an accomplished unbeaten century from Rohit Sharma when pursuing 261. Green – who boasted a good bowling attack – took key wickets to gain some momentum, but a missed stumping and a dropped catch allowed Rohit to seal a victory with seven deliveries to spare. At one stage Red needed 90 to win from 11 overs, before a match-winning partnership of 86 in 9.2 overs between Rohit and Abhishek Nayar changed all that.A 75-run stand between Rohit and M Vijay – after Faiz Fazal was given out to one pitched outside leg stump – gave Red a good base. Vijay, who scored with 89 in the loss to Blue on Thursday, was slow off the blocks but opened up with consecutive boundaries off RP Singh. A flowing six over long-off followed before he was out in similar manner as yesterday, skipping out and lofting the ball down to long-on.Having faced six quiet deliveries, Rohit teed off with a six, lofted over mid-off, and a square-driven four off consecutive deliveries from Gony. Further boundaries off Pankaj Singh, one punched off the back foot and the other whipped between midwicket and mid-on, were indication of his touch. He continued to time the ball well in his innings, despite the pressure of wickets falling and a climbing required-rate.A missed stumping on 39, against Pragyan Ojha’s left-arm spin, proved costly. Gony returned to dismissed S Badrinath (27) and Suresh Raina stemmed the momentum with the wicket of Manoj Tiwary, lbw trying to work one off his stumps. With Rohit on 67, short extra cover failed to hold onto a firm drive, and Rohit promptly celebrated with 14 runs in three balls.The explosive association with Nayar proved crucial. Nayar shuffled around his crease and hit some pleasing boundaries, and the run-rate was back in control. At the other end Rohit eased into the 90s with a slog-sweep over midwicket. A ferocious pull off RP took him to 99 and he raised three figures with a steer to third man next ball. It took 110 deliveries but under pressure, he didn’t change his game. With four runs to win from 11 balls Nayar (34 from 31 balls) sliced RP straight to point, but Rohit finished the match with one last sweet off-drive.Earlier, a strong start from Green’s top order was weakened by a dramatic collapse at the end. Green were well in control after an opening stand of 102 between Naman Ojha and Shikhar Dhawan, and 95 for the second wicket, before a double-wicket over from Piyush Chawla triggered a collapse of eight wickets in 9.1 overs.The bowling was not great to start with, and Naman and Dhawan cashed in on wayward deliveries either side of the pitch before Dhawan tried to sweep offspinner Mohnish Parmar over square leg in the 20th over. Naman and Raina added 95 at a good clip, hustling the fielders even though boundaries were hard to find during the middle stage of their partnership. Both played the spinners well, using their feet to clip the ball wide of the men in the circle.Chawla got some turn on a sluggish track, with the odd ball staying low, and began the slide.Shortly after a lovely slog-sweep from Raina went for six, Naman was on his way back for 96. Chawla tossed the ball up on the stumps and Naman swung wildly into the deep, where Vijay judged the catch to perfection. Three deliveries later, Chawla sent Yusuf Pathan back for a first-ball duck, Fazal taking an exceptional catch at wide long-on.Raina’s fifty came up off 59 deliveries but he became Chawla’s third wicket, slogging to a tumbling Tiwary, who then took a far more straightforward catch at short midwicket in the next over to get Mohammad Kaif. Nayar’s first fours overs had cost 37 runs but he came back well and was rewarded for bowling stump-to-stump. Praveen Kumar bowled tightly at the death and picked up two in one over.Green need to beat Blue to make it to Sunday’s final. Since Red conceded a bonus point in their defeat to Blue, they have three points from two games. The only way they can make it to the final is if Blue defeat Green on Sunday.

Andrew Symonds’ Test exile is officially over after Ricky Ponting confirmed the allrounder would play in Thursday’s first Test against New Zealand

Peter English19-Nov-2008
Andrew Symonds is back after missing the India series © AFP
Andrew Symonds’ Test exile is officially over after Ricky Ponting confirmed the allrounder would play in Thursday’s first Test against New Zealand. Symonds was suspended following his fishing trip in Darwin before the one-day series against Bangladesh in August, but he has convinced himself, Cricket Australia and his team-mates that he is ready to resume the No. 6 spot.Australia’s only remaining choice is whether to pick another allrounder in Shane Watson or the offspinner Jason Krejza on a pitch that will seam in the damp and humid conditions. The wicket is under-prepared – Matthew Hayden called it “spicy” – but if the predicted wet weather stays away Krejza will hold his spot. The call is a difficult one for Watson, who performed reasonably well with both disciplines in India, but Symonds’ experience as a senior player meant he came in as soon as he was deemed ready.”It was important that we got him back into our team,” Ponting said. “Being a senior member of our team and a very successful member before he went out of it, it almost becomes an injury-type replacement. He’s been out for a couple of months. He’s fit and ready to go and deserves his spot back in the side.”Despite Symonds having to go away and work out what he was doing wrong by the team, Ponting said he did not want the allrounder to change his personality. With the speed of Symonds’ return – and his form – it is easy to wonder what the point of the exercise was if the squad is happy for him to be the same old Symo.”I don’t expect him to be the model citizen when he comes back into the side, I expect him to be the Andrew Symonds of old,” Ponting said. “That’s what we all love about him. We all love his personality and the way he is around the team.”Symonds has collected only 70 runs in three Sheffield Shield games for Queensland but Ponting has been impressed with his work in the nets this week and retains faith in his “big-game” qualities. Ponting hoped for more of the version of Symonds that scored 777 runs in his nine previous Tests, instead of the one that has struggled since undergoing psychological sessions as part of his rehabilitation.”He does add a lot to your team,” Ponting said. “He adds that X-factor, he adds that great presence in the field. He can bowl you some medium pace and offspin, so with that sort of cricketer in the line-up, so far as balance goes, it is excellent.”Finding the right line-up was one of Australia’s regular dilemmas in India, but that mostly surrounded trying to fit in the spin of Cameron White. Turn is not going to be much of a factor in this game, which is a shame for the New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.They will look at using Grant Elliott as a batsman at No. 7, a move which would leave the 19-year-old Tim Southee as 12th man. “We’re trying not to bring in the fact that Grant bowls a little bit,” Vettori said. “We want the best batsman at that position. The guy who comes in will bat at No. 7 and Grant is more accustomed to that than Peter Fulton.”Ponting and Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, decided on the 12 after looking at the pitch on Wednesday morning, with the fast bowler Peter Siddle being cut from the squad. Stuart Clark will return after missing the Nagpur Test and should enjoy the green surface that has been kept moist by rain since the weekend.Krejza grabbed 12 wickets on debut in Nagpur last week while Ponting said Watson was the best fast bowler on the tour. “They’ll be desperately unlucky, whoever misses out,” Ponting said. Having four fast bowlers in the outfit is a concern for Ponting, whose side is regularly under over-rate pressure.Ponting has been criticised for his decision-making in Nagpur, where he called on part-time bowlers to lift the speed of the game, and the issue is nagging at him. “I, and our team, have been as guilty as anybody in being behind in our overs and making it not as good a spectacle as it could be,” he said. “I have stayed away all week from talking to the team about the over-rates. If they don’t understand it now as a result of what’s been in the papers and spoken about for the last week, they never will.”While Australia worry, New Zealand have no concerns. “We’ve never had a problem with over-rates,” Vettori said. “We have problems with being too fast and have to slow ourselves down. I’ll try not to bowl myself too often in this game.”

A number of Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been hailing Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s performance in the friendly win over Port Vale.

The Owls are continuing to prepare for life in League One, with Darren Moore trying to mastermind a swift return to the Championship.

Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Lewis Wing both joined Wednesday on loan on Tuesday and the pair played a part in the friendly meeting with Port Vale.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

It was Moore’s side who prevailed 2-1 on the night, in what proved to be a good run out, as the League One opener away to Charlton Athletic a week on Saturday edges closer all the time.

Someone who caught the eye in the match was Dele-Bashiru, who only managed two starts in the Championship in the whole of last season.

The 20-year-old scored the winning goal with 79 minutes on the clock and impressed supporters in his all-round performance.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-9/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Sheff Wed fans laud Dele-Bashiru performance

These Wednesday fans took to Twitter to heap praise on the youngster, having watched a video of his goal.

“The best player in the world”

Credit: @ejc18671

“That’s classy that”

Credit: @joshpars_

“Don’t you ever dare doubt this boy”

Credit: @__danknight__

“FDB>Ronaldo like if you agree”

Credit: @swfcsampo

“Bashiru is a beast”

Credit: @Adolphiggler

“Gonna be some player that lad”

Credit: @JonOwls1867

In other news, two clubs are believed to be eyeing up a move for one key Sheff Wed player. Find out who it is here.

Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, believes several of his batsmen were scared of Mitchell Johnson’s speed and he blamed their “silly shots” for the team’s dismal effort against Australia in Darwin

Brydon Coverdale in Darwin30-Aug-2008
Jamie Siddons was unimpressed with the shot selection from the Bangladesh players © Getty Images
Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, believes several of his batsmen were scared of Mitchell Johnson’s speed and he blamed their “silly shots” for the team’s dismal effort against Australia in Darwin. Chasing 255 for victory Bangladesh capitulated for 74, which was their lowest total in an ODI, and a clearly frustrated Siddons was searching for answers after the match.He was particularly critical of some of the batsmen falling to premeditated shots and he singled out the captain Mohammad Ashraful, whose ugly attempted pull to a Johnson ball that stayed low trapped him dead in front. “I can’t control their mental frame of mind when they get out there,” Siddons said. “The shot selection – premeditated shots like Ash’s, it’s a little disappointing.”The unfamiliarity of the debutant Brett Geeves, who bowled quick and picked up 2 for 11, contributed to the middle-order struggles but the main damage came at the top. It was the first time several of the players had faced Johnson, and Siddons said they played him on his reputation rather than his efforts on the day.”A couple of the guys had it in their mind about Mitchell Johnson and so on, and I don’t think Mitchell bowled that fast today,” Siddons said. “The wicket slowed him up a fair bit. So the batsmen can probably have a look at that now and say, well, it’s not the type of wicket that he’s going to bowl 100 miles an hour.”We can take away the unknown now. They’ve seen Geeves, they’ve seen Mitchell Johnson. They don’t need to be frightened of their pace any more. Most of the guys got out there and faced either of those two. They can take that away and come back the next game and play some better shots and be a bit more patient.”Johnson also picked up Tamim Iqbal, who had belted the slower Nathan Bracken for a couple of boundaries but fell when he tried to slash Johnson over third man. Tamim misjudged the shot and it fell into the hands of Geeves, leaving Bangladesh’s middle order exposed too early in the match.”It’s something that you see a lot with our guys,” Siddons said. “They don’t look uncomfortable at that level, but they get out with some silly shots. I can yell and scream at them or I can take them to the nets and keep working at it. I think I’ll take them to the nets.”Siddons was concerned that “the occasion was too big” for his players and he is keen to make top-order changes for the second match on Wednesday. He was obviously unsure whether Mehrab Hossain jnr, who made an eight-ball duck, was the right man to open, but whoever goes out first should take note of the patience displayed by Michael Hussey and Shaun Marsh, who ground out an 85-run partnership.It was not pretty but it was highly effective and it gave Hussey a solid enough platform to cut loose towards the end, driving Australia to the 254 that set up their 180-run triumph. He finished with 85 and was the main reason Australia picked up 49 from the final five overs, an effort that drew praise from the stand-in captain Michael Clarke.”Talk about it every game with Huss, don’t we?” Clarke said. “He’s a freak … he stood up, he made sure he was going to be there at the end. He helped the boys around him, he played that support role through the middle and then enjoyed the last few overs.”Clarke was also thrilled there were a couple of wickets for Geeves, who was a late inclusion in the squad after Brett Lee became unavailable. It gives Australia a tough choice on who to leave out on Wednesday, if Shane Watson is ruled fit after missing the opening game with soreness in his lower leg.”Geevesy really looked forward to today, once he found out he’d been selected he was very excited, he was dying for an opportunity,” Clarke said. “It shows the strength of Australian cricket. Guys just keep coming in and keep stepping up.”

Chelsea youngster Conor Gallagher is the kind of player Crystal Palace have got to be looking at this summer, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has told The Transfer Tavern.

While West Brom, where Gallagher spent last season out on loan, had a difficult 2020/21 campaign, it was still a campaign the 21-year-old can draw positives from.

After loan spells with Swansea City and Charlton Athletic in the Championship, it was his first taste of Premier League football, which he got plenty of.

In total, Gallagher made 30 appearances and scored two goals as he continued his development in the men’s game.

Palace are now thought to be keen on bringing the midfielder in and reuniting him with Marc Guehi, with The Athletic reporting on the club’s interest, and Palmer believes it would be the right decision.

“He did really well at West Brom,” the ex-Baggies player said. “He’s proved he can play at that level, so with funds going to be limited at Crystal Palace, you’ve got to be looking at a player like that to come [in on loan] and be part of your squad.

“He’s got lots of ability and I’m sure with Patrick Vieira taking over at the helm of the club that these players want to play for him.”

Bringing Gallagher in may not be straightforward, with Newcastle United also said to be interested in the England U21 international.

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Noel Whelan has been left thrilled by a Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving Renato Sanches.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Sanches…

Tottenham have been linked with a move for Sanches over this last week, coming after his impressive Euro 2020 campaign with Portugal.

The 23-year-old averaged a brilliant 91% pass accuracy over four appearances at the major tournament and was one of Portugal’s standout players.

So much so, le10sport have claimed that Spurs are now one of the clubs eyeing him this summer alongside La Liga giants Barcelona.

The Latest: Whelan thrilled…

Speaking to FI, Whelan has been left thrilled by this transfer claim and believes Sanches would be an ‘amazing signing’ for Spurs – citing his mighty cameos in the Euros.

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“Oh my God, he was fantastic at times, wasn’t he, in the Euros,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“He lit up the stadium with his bursting runs, that pace and power that he has and that skill. Look, that’s the Tottenham way. They’re the sort of players they want in their club.

“It’s the type they’ve had for a number of years, as long as I can remember going back to Ossie Ardiles. Those great players with that skill and dribbling ability that can open up doors and create something out of nothing.

“He seems one of these players. We’ve seen him on the biggest stage, playing in the European Championships with a very good Portuguese side. It’s not easy to break into and be one of those squad members.

“They’re looking at players that can produce the goods along with Son and whoever. That would be an amazing signing.”

The Verdict: Eriksen heir?

Despite his impressive few tournament appearances, Sanches has still been quite a mixed bag at club level over these last few seasons, so there are caveats to this move.

The tidy midfield ace, however, could potentially come as an heir to Christian Eriksen – with it being no secret that Spurs have missed the Dane’s presence since he departed for Inter Milan.

Much will depend on the fee, and while Spurs seem to be eyeing a few creative Ligue 1 midfield men, they must first seal new defensive faces as Fabio Paratici eyes a major summer revamp.

In other news: ‘Sensational’…Sky pundit in awe as Nuno eyes ‘fabulous player’, find out more here.

New Zealand Cricket officials would have good cause to wonder about where Pakistan is coming from in terms of its claim that it is seeking compensation for New Zealand’s non-participation in a triangular series in September

Lynn McConnell04-Dec-2002New Zealand Cricket officials would have good cause to wonder about where Pakistan is coming from in terms of its claim that it is seeking compensation for New Zealand’s non-participation in a triangular series in September.Pakistan Cricket Board director Chishty Mujahid commented to Reuters earlier today that New Zealand had pulled out of the triangular series and should therefore be required to compensate Pakistan for the loss of revenues.New Zealand Cricket (NZC) are not commenting on the claim today which has come as their own home international season kicks off in Christchurch.However, on July 19 earlier this year NZC chief executive Martin Snedden spelled out very clearly that all that New Zealand was ever involved in with regard to a one-day tournament was a “discussion”.Then at an International Cricket Council meeting in London, Snedden agreed to a talk with Brigadier Munawar Rana about the tournament. Australia were involved as well.In an interview with CricInfo on July 19, Snedden said: “I said I would not have our players play any cricket in August. I had promised our players a complete break in July and August. They had already earlier agreed to break into an earlier spell in order to make the re-scheduled tour of Pakistan in May.”I also wasn’t going to be prepared to go to a venue that was going to cost us a huge amount of money to get to,” he said.Under the Future Tours Agreement (FTA), teams travelling to countries are required to pay the fares and the players’ fees while host countries pick up the internal costs.”None of it fitted in,” Snedden said.He said Pakistan had made a statement that New Zealand had agreed in principle to the tournament in Kenya but that was not the case at all.Several venues had been mentioned including Morocco, Australia, England and Sri Lanka.The day after saying New Zealand had heard nothing from Pakistan about playing in Kenya, a formal proposal was received from Pakistan.Under its plan, New Zealand would have been required to assemble on August 21 for five matches in Kenya in the last week of August and the first week of September.”That didn’t suit us,” Snedden said. He wrote to Pakistan informing them of that.The other factor about the issue was that Australia were committed under the FTA to play Pakistan in a one-day series, but New Zealand wasn’t.Snedden also re-iterated at the time that New Zealand was committed to meeting its obligation to complete its abandoned Test series which occurred after a bomb blast killed French engineers outside the New Zealand team hotel.